At 82, Blaustein is a veritable whirlwind who spends virtually all her time doing for others.

She knits booties for needy Haitian babies and socks for disabled veterans.

She takes widows out to lunch, drives the elderly to church and makes regular trips to hospitals to visit acquaintances who might have no one else.

She volunteers to help care for victims of Alzheimer`s disease at the center two days a week and helps out in the center thrift shop.

The Deerfield Beach resident even helps cut the food of blind people who eat lunch at the center.

In between, she tries to be everyone`s friend, teaching some to knit and crochet to help pass the time. She gets so wrapped up in her own craft projects for the needy that sometimes she finds herself still knitting away at 3 a.m.

``The days are not long enough for me,`` Blaustein said. ``Not me.``

Blaustein doesn`t like to wait around for holidays to do good.

``She has the spirit of Christmas all year `round,`` Andrews said. ``She is the kind of person who doesn`t wait for Christmas to have compassion for her fellow man.``

Andrews, who lives in Boca Raton, can only imagine what life would have been like for her if Blaustein hadn`t come her way.

``When you lose your husband and you`re ill to boot, it`s terrible,`` Andrews said. ``Fannie came to visit me and called me every day. It means an awful lot in a situation like that to have someone.``

Blaustein said she remembered what it felt like to be alone.

Five years ago, she lost her own husband only a few months before their 60th wedding anniversary. Although he had been blind and paralyzed for six years, Blaustein was devastated.

``For three years, I just did my work and came home,`` Blaustein recalled. ``I didn`t want to even turn my lights on because I didn`t want anyone to come over and see me.``

But if there was one thing Blaustein learned from her mother, it was to open her heart to others.

The daughter of Russian immigrants who were too poor to afford even diapers, Blaustein can remember her mother sharing what little they had with those less fortunate. Once, Blaustein`s mother brought home for dinner a destitute family of 11 she had met at a bus stop.

It`s a tradition that carries on.

``When I find someone that is needy -- even if I have to take money out of my own pocket -- I`ll take them food or take them to the doctor,`` Blaustein said. ``When I have a couple of dollars, I`ll buy some get-well cards or knitting needles. Sometimes, I even use my food money, so I won`t go out to eat that day.``

She doesn`t think she`ll ever be too old to do for others. After all, she didn`t get her driver`s license until she was 70. Who can tell what she may accomplish as life carries her through her 80s?